Meet the 8 transitional deacons to be ordained on May 18
On Sunday, May 18, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, will ordain eight new transitional deacons at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart. While each of the diaconate ordinandi has followed a unique path to ministry in the Catholic Church, all eight men have displayed the same openness to God’s call. They also point to the encouragement and support they have received from family, friends, and clergy in their years of formation. Additionally, each of the ordinandi has turned to the saints as a source of comfort and inspiration as they discerned their vocations.
Here are their stories:
David Andrade
Home parish: Our Lady of Sorrows, Kearny, NJ
David Andrade said his parents and the Neocatechumenal Way were pivotal to his vocation.
“This charism saved my parents’ marriage,” he told Jersey Catholic.
Through their involvement in the Way, Andrade encountered many priests and seminarians “who recognized a call in me early in my adolescence.” He said that even during the most rebellious phases of his teen years, “God was there through the Way to help me rebuild my life.”
He credits the “witness of priests” and prayers from his family and faith community for helping him persevere in his vocational journey.
“Without them, I would not have come this far in my formation,” Andrade said.
Asked which saint most influenced his discernment, Andrade indicated Servant of God Carmen Hernandez Barrera as a strong source of inspiration.
“Her witness of joy and zeal for the Gospel and the Liturgy of the Eucharist were instrumental for me,” Andrade said.
He added that the Confessions of Saint Augustine were also a strong influence: “I found in St. Augustine that God can do wonders even with the most wayward and backsliding.”
Alan de Almeida Barreto
Home parish: Paróquia Santa Zita e Nossa Senhora do Caminho, São Paulo, Brazil
Alan de Almeida Barreto was fascinated by the priests working in the parishes where he grew up.
“I was inspired by how they gave their lives to the people, sharing their lives and visiting their houses,” he told Jersey Catholic. “Their wisdom and discernment, but especially the joy with which they lived, attracted me.”
Barreto credited the Neocatechumenal community in his parish as essential to his formation: “I do not think I would have joined the seminary without them.”
As a young altar server, he was influenced by Saint Zita, the patron of his parish, and by St. Tarcisius. Blessed Carlo Acutis, whose canonization was delayed due to the death of Pope Francis, was a special source of support when he struggled with his vocation.
“I remember taking a devotional card at a church in Rome that had the picture of Blessed Carlo Acutis and a message in the back with one of the things he said,” Barreto said. “That really helped me with what I was going through, so much so that, since then, I keep that in my breviary.
“In difficult or important moments, I find myself with Blessed Carlo Acutis close to me,” he added.
Jorge Humberto Diaz, Jr.
Home parish: San Agustín Cathedral, Laredo, Texas
Jorge Humberto Diaz, Jr. found his priestly vocation while doing missionary work in Belize with the Neocatechumenal Way.
“I fell in love with the mission there by being with the people, doing catechesis in different parts of Belize and leading a life of continuous daily prayer,” he said.
A 2016 pilgrimage to the World Youth Day in Kraków, Poland was also formative. He remembered “being touched and moved by the immense number of pilgrims” and how he entrusted himself “to Our Lady of Czestochowa right then and there.” Diaz said it gave him “different eyes and a different attitude” and led him to join the seminary in January 2017.
Saints Paul and Augustine were especially influential to him. Both men were far from God at one point, but “had their respective encounters with the Lord and the love of Jesus Christ, which led them to their conversions.” Diaz, a nonbeliever during many of his teen years, said he “found myself empty with no meaning or direction,” recalling that he felt “cold and totally indifferent towards others.” His parents never stopped praying for him, however.
“It is thanks to them that I was able to have an experience of the love of God for me during that time, which completely transformed and changed my life,” he said.
Konrad Kosiek
Home parish: St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, Linden, New Jersey
Konrad Kosiek said his parents were crucial to his vocation.
“They instilled in me a deep love, admiration and reverence for the priesthood, nurturing within me a desire to give my life to Jesus as His priest,” he told Jersey Catholic.
Kosiek said the pastor of Saint Theresa’s Church, Father Ireneusz Pierzchala, was also a strong inspiration: “His profound love for Christ and His Church was evident in how he celebrated Mass and heard confessions. It left a lasting impression on me.”
Among the saints, he was especially inspired by “the Blessed Mother, the greatest of all saints.” According to Kosiek, she has been “my greatest cause of joy and source of consolation, refuge and hope. After all, no one can love Jesus more than she does!”
Kosiek said Pope Saint John Paul II also played “a significant role in my desire to be a priest and shepherd of souls.” In particular, he said that the pope’s teachings on priestly ministry “profoundly shaped my understanding of this vocation as an extraordinary gift from God.”
He also pointed to St. Thérèse of Lisieux for her “humility and trust in the Lord” as well as her “profound love for priests” and dedication to praying for them.
Michael Oasheim
Home parish: Immaculate Conception Church, Lafayette, CO
Michael Oasheim was helped to discern his priestly vocation through the catechism of the Neocatechumenal Way.
“Little by little, I began to see how God could love me even in my weakness and with my shortcomings,” he said. “I began to see how God can work wonders even with weak people, as well as the need for priests who go out and evangelize.”
Oasheim added that he is grateful to the communities, lay people and priests who have helped him over the years. He said their support “has been fundamental for discovering and fostering my vocation.”
The day he entered the seminary, November 13, is also the feast day of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini. That is not his only connection with her.
“A couple of years ago, I discovered that I was also baptized on November 13,” he said. “I had taken for granted the day of my baptism, which I see now as something valuable for my salvation.”
Additionally, the grounds of Redemptoris Mater Seminary, where his formation has taken place, was once an orphanage founded by the saint.
“I would say that Mother Cabrini has assisted me in my path to the priesthood and continues to do so,” Oasheim said.
He also recognized Saint Michael the Archangel, who “has defended my vocation and protected me from many sins.”
Ricardo Padilla
Home parish: St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Hughson, California
Ricardo Padilla said that he has been “accompanied by the charism of the Neocatechumenal Way throughout my life” and that it “guided me in my discernment towards the priesthood.” The intimate structure of the community and accompaniment of priests, catechists and lay people were vital in helping him “to discover and discern the will of God in my life.”
Three Mexican martyrs proved essential to his discernment: Father Toribio Romo González, Father Pedro Esqueda Ramirez and Father Miguel Agustín Pro.
“Every year since I was a child, my family and I would make a pilgrimage to visit these great saints, which had a profound impact on my life,” Padilla said. “These saints are buried and have their shrines close to our home in Mexico. They have shown me the transformative power of God’s grace, which was made manifest in their ministry by caring for their flock during an intense religious persecution and by bringing forth the light of Christ in loving their enemies, especially to their murderers.”
Jose Eduardo Sanchez
Home parishes: Parroquia El Salvador de San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina, and Saint Joseph Catholic Church, East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Jose Eduardo Sanchez said a 2013 trip to World Youth Day in Brazil was pivotal to his vocational journey.
“That was where I first felt God was calling me to the priesthood,” he said.
A few months prior, Sanchez said he “asked God to give me direction since I was confused about the meaning of my life.” Shortly afterward, Sanchez received a free ticket to Brazil. He had to make a quick decision since the airplane would be departing in 10 hours.
“I said ‘Yes!’ not knowing what God was preparing for me there,” he recalled. “I not only found my calling, but an answer to my life.”
Sanchez said that Saint Philip Neri and Saint Anthony of Padua were crucial to him as he prepared to enter the seminary: “Their missionary spirit really got to me.” Later, Saints Damian of Molokai, John of God, and Charles De Foucauld also influenced him.
“I saw how they constantly needed to cling to God to enter into their missions with their eyes fixed on Him. Deep down, I think that is why these saints have always been in my thoughts. They were simple people and now saints.”
Jose Miguel Serafini-Careaga
Home parish: Parroquia Medalla Milagrosa, Fernando de la Mora, Paraguay
Jose Miguel Serafini-Careaga said he felt uneasy about his place in the world when he was young.
“The anxiety became more present as I was finishing high school,” he explained. “I was afraid of taking a wrong step in any direction.”
A catechist finally inspired him thanks to “the love with which he spoke about the mission to China and the need for evangelization.” He believed that such missions were important: “Something inside was telling me, ‘If this is God’s plan for me, I will be happier than if I followed any other path.’”
When he struggled as a teenager, “the desert fathers were a guide and a motivation not to trust my own thoughts without testing them. They spoke about obedience and simplicity, allowing myself to be guided.” Serafini also found inspiration in the simplicity of Saint Therese, who taught him “the joy of finding God in everyday things.” Finally, from the writings and catechesis of Servant of God Carmen Hernandez, he said that he “came to appreciate the Church as a mother.”
The Jubilee for Deacons and the Ordination of Deacons will be celebrated at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart on May 18 at 3 p.m. You can follow the liturgy on livestream here.
